People must show identification proving that they live in an area endangered by the storm.

“It’s the right thing to do,” he said. “We’ve got plenty of rooms and we’ll let people stay until the storm has passed.”

Deifik would not draw a geographic boundary for those who are eligible for the offer. But he is defining that area liberally, saying that all reasonable requests for shelter will be accepted as long as rooms remain.

“They have to show proof that they live in an area that is threatened with a direct hit or an area in danger,” he said. “Ninety-five percent of people I’m sure will be honest about it. There’s always going to be some scammers, but if it takes letting a few of them slip by in order to help the majority of people, then so be it.”

Other local efforts have begun in hopes of providing aid to locals. People donated bottled water, paper towels, baby wipes, and more to Klein Transportation in Douglassville before the buses start to head south ahead of Florence.

The Carolinas are bracing for Hurricane Florence, which was threatening a corridor of more than 10 million people on Wednesday.

Georgia, Virginia and North and South Carolina have declared states of emergency.